2 more protesters arrested at Westborough site

A Framingham man and Cambridge woman were arrested Friday afternoon when they refused to leave the TransCanada Corp. offices at 110 Turnpike Road.

By Staff reports

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Staff reports

Posted Mar. 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 22, 2013 at 10:19 PM

By Staff reports

Posted Mar. 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 22, 2013 at 10:19 PM

WESTBOROUGH

» Social News

A Framingham man and Cambridge woman were arrested Friday afternoon when they refused to leave the TransCanada Corp. offices at 110 Turnpike Road.

The two arrested, identified by Westborough police as Kenneth Weiss, 35, of 54 Harrington Road, Framingham, and Linda Jenkins, 64, of 189 Charles St., Cambridge, were among about a dozen protesters carrying banners and chanting while standing in the building's main entryway at about 1:15 p.m..

They are charged with trespassing for failing to leave the property after being advised to do so.

Environmental protesters around the country have occupied offices of TransCanada, which plans to build a pipeline to carry petroleum products from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico, and the local facility has been the target of several protests this year.

Last week, about 100 protesters staged a mock funeral at the site, and 25 were arrested for handcuffing themselves together and failing to leave.

The 25, who ranged in age from 18 to 70, many of whom were from other states, were arraigned last Wednesday in Westborough District Court, where they agreed to a three-month pretrial probation period with the condition that they stay away from TransCanada’s Westborough office.

In January, eight students glued and chained themselves together in a protest at the local site.

Nationally, the Keystone XL pipeline has drawn protests outside the White House, blockades of construction, and a climate change rally.

Opponents say they fear the pipe could rupture and cause catastrophic spills, harm wildlife and generate more greenhouse gases than clean energy sources.

"The latest environmental review concluded again that the pipeline would have no significant impact on the resources along the route,'' TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard said in a recent statement. "This really isn’t about Keystone XL, diluted bitumen, emissions or a substance that is in a particular blend of oil – it’s about a group that wants to end the use of fossil fuels entirely."

Weiss and Jenkins are scheduled to appear in Westborough District Court on Monday.